Gas rig in Van Buren County

If there is one thing that is painfully obvious to me now that I’ve been dealing with Arkansans and their battles with gas exploration here in the state for some time now, it’s that if you are one person, a single landowner who is having some sort of problem, there’s almost nothing that can be done for you.  Local officials don’t want to step on the gas industry’s toes and state representatives and senators have sided with the big gas companies on just about every single bill that comes up in the legislature.  Here’s the latest, detailed in a report by Anita Tucker of the Van Buren County Democrat.

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A Cleveland man asked the Van Buren County Quorum Court to consider passing an ordinance to hire a gas and oil inspector to keep watch over drilling companies’ actions in the county.

Cary Huff told justices of the peace that his private property is being destroyed and that his farm has been “cut in half” by placement of oil wells. “I can never raise cattle again,” he said.

Huff complained that gas and oil company workers drive too fast across his land, have damaged a storage unit on his property and have not abided by contractual agreements.

“They’re coming in and just stomping on people and that’s not fair,” he said….

Justices of the peace did not seem receptive to Huff’s appeal for county ordinances to address the issue.

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